It's a combo I believe. The rightwing has its loony toons and zealots of course, as does the left. From what I've heard, the Freeper matrix is a maelstrom of insanity. But concerning the left, it's so disorganized and relatively weak and short on success of late that perhaps the state of the left has caused people to be snippy on e-lists and a bit warped in their thinking even if offline they're nonsnippy. I think that also a segment of the left has failed to come to terms with the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the success of Seattle and what the combination means, so hence there's confusion and a lack of certainty which causes snippyness in some of the more egotistical folks.
If you don't like the snippyness, lead by example. What's the *purpose* of e-lists? To share info and knowledge? To dialogue? To joke and kid? Or to browbeat people into the correct line as you see it?
>I too would like a shift in tone --
: 0
What caused this? Maybe it has something to do with
the fact that here we are in early December and
Afghanistan already has a new government and
Kandahar is about to fall?
I think a lot of the snippyness wouldn't happen if people wouldn't get so personal in their ad hominem remarks.
Peter